Rear Lights

Rear Lights

Author
Discussion

Pete Mac

755 posts

138 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
Digger said:
Just wondering what some of you don't like about the SE style of rear lights? Admittedly I am a bit biased!
I guess it is a personal thing, my idea of the iconic Griff is with the the old Vauxhall lights but clearly not everyone agrees with me. I also like the non PAS Griffs as I think you get much better road feel for the downside of a bit heavy parking but again not everyone agrees. To be honest when I rebuild my Griff I may investigate fitting a later, more progressive PAS system if available.

I am a great believer in buying a Griff for the driving, fettling and owning pleasure rather than storing in an air conditioned cooon, however if you do make a serious mod to a car it's worth considering whether that mod will devalue the car or not but at the end of the day it is personal choice.

This is what is great about the Griffs, they are such a personal thing and everyone has a different point of view.

RichB

51,659 posts

285 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
Digger said:
Just wondering what some of you don't like about the SE style of rear lights? Admittedly I am a bit biased!
I like the fact that the Griffith tail lamps are inset at the edge and this design feature picks up on the scalloped leading edge of the doors, I like the way this defines the tail from the rear wings and adds a feature to an otherwise featureless tail end and I rather like the nod to earlier TVRs which also had upside down rear lamp clusters... I don't like the pepper pot rear lights so much because to my eyes they do not match anything else on the car, unlike the Tuscan where they match the headlamps, and appear to be an attempt to modernise the car in its run out phase which is what many manufacturers do and often unsuccessfully.

Edited by RichB on Saturday 23 March 08:23

GlynMo

1,140 posts

250 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
^^^^^ good answer.

cpeacock

Original Poster:

325 posts

134 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
Do the later VW winger mirrors provide better visibility?

I am in two minds about the rear lights still, at present I have the GSI lights which are better than the standard in my opinion.

Paxo1

147 posts

275 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
[quote=cpeacock]Do the later VW winger mirrors provide better visibility?
/quote]
on the subject of mirrors....has anyone fitted the later mirrors with the door button underneath ? or even just added the button to underside of standard mirrors ? Apologies if this seems a bit of a hijack of the thread but after having a t car I have to admit i do like the switch option even though I would also want to keep the standard griff door entry system as well

Doc Toad

490 posts

151 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
Paxo1]peacock said:
Do the later VW winger mirrors provide better visibility?
/quote]
on the subject of mirrors....has anyone fitted the later mirrors with the door button underneath ? or even just added the button to underside of standard mirrors ? Apologies if this seems a bit of a hijack of the thread but after having a t car I have to admit i do like the switch option even though I would also want to keep the standard griff door entry system as well
...steady on, you'll be fitting bonnet vents and taking up golf next laugh

I believe the wiring of the VW mirrors is a bit tricky in any case (just getting the electric adjustment and heating right). Dave Spenceley has an excellent write up on his site http://tvr3.dspen.com/

Not sure if the Griff mechanism is the same as the Chim - I know the solenoid operates the door lock, but isn't the actual latch just mechanical?

My twopennyworth on rear lights - leave as is. It looks just right. The only mod to standard that I've seen that might be worth a look was on a '96 car that I viewed when I was looking for my first one. The guy had carefully scraped off the raised lettering (ie the inverted Vauxhall part numbers etc) and polished back so you couldn't tell it had ever been there. Gave the lights a surprisingly fresh look. Unfortunately I'm too lazy to bother!


eff eff

754 posts

205 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
I've got mirror door release buttons, so the doors look like this.........


Pete Mac

755 posts

138 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
Doc Toad said:
The only mod to standard that I've seen that might be worth a look was on a '96 car that I viewed when I was looking for my first one. The guy had carefully scraped off the raised lettering (ie the inverted Vauxhall part numbers etc) and polished back so you couldn't tell it had ever been there. Gave the lights a surprisingly fresh look. Unfortunately I'm too lazy to bother!
I know I'm going a bit 'off piste' but this sounds like a good mod and something I will attempt when I rebuild my Griff. Does anybody know a source of new light lenses or how I can make my existing lenses look like new so it looks like a genuine 'nut and bolt' rebuild? I was considering putting them in the dish washer and see how they came out, however it might turn them milky white or something drastic like that - hence even more need for a source of new lenses.

I do know that fleabay often advertise used lenses and this is always a fall-back.

David Beer

3,982 posts

268 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
I have the "gsi" rear lights, I have removed the orange indicator lens, they look so much better now. Of course you then have to have orange bulbs or LEDs as I have. Also have four tail lights, which double brightness when i brake,with central brake light (not visable until lit)as well, well I say lights, all LEDs. But I do like to "tinker" !

Edited by David Beer on Saturday 23 March 18:46

cpeacock

Original Poster:

325 posts

134 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
No bonnet vents, however do have golf clubs...

Thanks for the information on the mirrors, very interesting.

David Beer

3,982 posts

268 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
cpeacock said:
No bonnet vents, however do have golf clubs...

Thanks for the information on the mirrors, very interesting.
I have the "gsi" rear lights, I have removed the orange indicator lens, they look so much better now. Of course you then have to have orange bulbs or LEDs as I have. Also have four tail lights, which double brightness when i brake,with central brake light (not visable until lit)as well, well I say lights, all LEDs. But I do like to "tinker" !

Edited by David Beer on Saturday 23 March 18:46

David Beer

3,982 posts

268 months

Saturday 23rd March 2013
quotequote all
Will show in the morn, did post maybe 6 years ago!

gavgavgav

1,557 posts

230 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
eff eff said:
I've got mirror door release buttons, so the doors look like this.........

looks brill

Pete Mac

755 posts

138 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
David Beer said:
I have the "gsi" rear lights, I have removed the orange indicator lens, they look so much better now. Of course you then have to have orange bulbs or LEDs as I have. Also have four tail lights, which double brightness when i brake,with central brake light (not visable until lit)as well, well I say lights, all LEDs. But I do like to "tinker" !

Edited by David Beer on Saturday 23 March 18:46
David, very interested in getting some more detail on the lights including the LEDs. I haven't really investigated buying new lenses but have assumed I will have to buy secondhand as new may not be available and I will need a second set in case I screw up on bringing back to new. The GSi lenses are the tinted ones, aren't they?

I've noticed LEDs advertised on fleabay but haven' gone much further than that. Any details you could e-mail me including photos would be much appreciated. Sorry about the detail but I am currently in the planning stage as my new garage is being built and I am away working in Kazakhstan for 4 weeks (to earn the money to pay for the garage and Griff rebuild).

Apologies if I have hijacked this thread and am happy to move it to a new one. Thx

Argent

478 posts

242 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
If you're after the original Cavalier clusters you might still be able to get them from Vauxhall, I bought a pair a few years back.

A.

David Beer

3,982 posts

268 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all


Just a pic of my LED rear lights!

Pete Mac

755 posts

138 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
David Beer said:


Just a pic of my LED rear lights!
Dave, unfortunately can't see as the network here blocks this external site. Will have to wait until I return in 4 weeks

David Beer

3,982 posts

268 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]

shoggyraminator

255 posts

177 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
"Just a pic of my LED rear lights!"

Hello David, any chance of a close up photo of your third brake light? Was it a mod you did your self & what did the light/LEDs come off? Ta Andy

macar

378 posts

171 months

Sunday 24th March 2013
quotequote all
cpeacock said:
Very nice, may I ask where you got it done?

Also could you give an indication of cost?
Original straight from Blackpool, apparently the only one in Lambo orange.